Hammer.



PATENTEDDEG. 3, 1907. J. c. BATES.

HAMMER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1907;

,1 2a l v [NVEN TOR,

A TTORNEYS' UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

JOHN G. BATES, OF LAKE CITY, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKLIN J. APPELL, OF LAKE CITY, FLORIDA.

HAMIWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed June 26.1907. Serial No. 380,926.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that 1, JOHN C. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake City, in the county of Columbia and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Hammer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in hammers more especially to what are known as claw hammers used primarily for driving and extracting nails in wood-work.

Heretofore hammers have been made with their claws designed for extracting cut nails which had tapered bodies and required a tapered notch in the claw of the hammer to properly fit them. Hammers of this type were made with the outer convex surface of the claw perfectly smooth while the inner concaved surface was beveled or curved away from the central opening towards the sides of the claws. WVhen such a claw is apcplied to a nail for withdrawing it the tapere body of the nail, if it be a cut one fits into the beveled notch of the claw and is held tightly therein while being extracted. If, however, it be a wire nail of the kind such as are coming into common use, its body being of uniform size will tend to slide through the notch until its head reaches the claw and the latter in many cases, because of its inclined sides, either mutilates the head or pulls it entirely off from the body of the nail. It is to overcome this trouble and be able to withdraw wire nails without defacing them in any manner that this invention has been devised. It consists in forming the claw with a smooth inner concaved surface divided by a central angular notch with sharp edges and forming the beveled or curved sides of the notch on the outer or convexed portion of the claw. In combination with this claw is a secondary smaller claw for withdrawing tacks, brads small nails and the like formed on one side of I the hammer with its notch arranged in the Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The hammer which may be of the usual form comprises a body 1, a head 2 and the extractor 3 consisting of two claws 4 and 5 separated centrally by a longitudinal notch 6. The body 1 is provided with an eye 7 and as usual with a handle 8 Each claw 4, and 5 as will be seen in the drawing has its inner concaved face 8 preferably flat transversely, and the edge of the notch approximately sharp but the outer convex face 9 is curved laterally from the sharp edge of the notch 6 outwardly forming a much wider entrance for the nail on the outer side of the extractor than on the inner side. Whena hammer of this type is applied to a partly driven wire nail for the purpose of extracting it the claws 4 and 5 will pass on each side of the nail as far as the angular notch 6 permits. If power be now applied to the hammer in the usual manner for withdrawing the nail the flat concaved surfaces 8 will seat themselves squarely against the under side of the nail head and withdraw the nail without affecting the head. Should the nail be roughened just below the head as many wire nails are, the sharp edges of the notch will engage this roughened portion of the nail and withdraw it without coming in contact with the head. A supplementary claw 10 is formed on one of the principal claws for the purpose of extracting or withdrawing tacks, small nails or brads. This claw is made on the same principle as the main claw 3, that is to say with its notch inclined or beveled on the outside of the claw instead of on the inside, as heretofore.

It is to be understood that while this invention has been described as applied only to a claw hammer, it is equally applicable on box chisels, small crow bars and all such articles generally employed for opening boxes, drawing nails, and similar uses.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is: V

1. A tool having extracting claws flat on the side adapted to engage beneath the head of an object to be extracted and having their facing sides inclined or curved away from said flat side.

2. A tool having extracting claws flat on the side adapted to engage beneath the head of an object to be extracted and separated by a tapering notch, the edges of which are sharp, the facing sides of said claws being inclined or curved away from said edges in a lateral direction.

3. A hammer provided with curved extracting claws having 'a tapered central notch, the inner concaved face of said extracting claws being straight or flat transversely to form a sharp edge at said notch, the facing walls of which curve or incline laterally.

41. A hammer having curved extracting claws separated by a central longitudinally tapering slot narrower in a transverse direc 15 tion on the inner side of said claws than on the outer side.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aHiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. BATES.

Witnesses:

S. W. BLACK, R. ll ABBOTT. 

